An Arctic Man: The classic account of sixty-five years in Canada's North

by Ernie Lyall

Ernie Lyall writes about the north like no one has written about it before: "The main reason I decided to do a book about my life...is that I finally got fed up with all the baloney in so many books written about the north."

Born in Labrador, one of 19 children of a Scottish Hudson's Bay Company cooper, Lyall grew up in a north dominated by white traders. After adventures that took him around the Arctic and down the Labrador coast, Ernie settled in Fort Ross in the Arctic Islands. He married an Inuit woman, Nipisha, and immediately became part of her extended family. Ernie writes warmly about his Inuit friends and family, and about daily life in the Arctic and the remarkable transformation of the north that has occured in the last 40 years.

An Arctic Man tells about life in the north as it is actually lived, by its native and non-native inhabitants alike; it offers a rare, privileged view of the peoples of the Canadian Arctic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, History

239 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Steve]

Insightful first-hand experiences of life in the Eastern Arctic from the 1930s to late 1970s. You take away an appreciation for the role HBC and the RCMP had in the North during this time. Both the HBC and RCMP still do not receive proper recognition for their stewardship and leadership in the North.

While the first-hand experiences are terrific, I found the writing and manner in which the stories are recollected to be disappointing. At times the writing distracts from the experiences being retold.

Mr Lyall clearly served the people of the North and had a tremendous impact on improving the North. A selfless humble servant who deserves to be remembered.

[Cherop]

I very much enjoyed this book written by Ernie Lyall, born in 1910 in Labrador. He spent his entire life working in the Canadian Arctic . He has since passed on but his remarkable legacy will live on. Through his life and experiences he has given us a very interesting glimpse into the early development of Canada's far north and his long employment with the Hudson's Bay Company. Mr. Lyall was not Inuit but he married one and learned to speak Inuktitut. Together he and his wife Nipisha raised many children.

[Tobor]

Reading this book is essentially like listening to an old fart ramble about his life for 200 pages. It's an interesting life, to be sure, but whether you'd enjoy the book will probably come down to how much you like listening to old farts ramble.

[Yaakov Bressler]

I really enjoyed reading about Ernie’s experience up north. Very good storytelling.

[Susanne]

Boring